Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, first released in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, is now available for purchase on Steam and the PlayStation Store as part of a “Premium Edition” re-release.

The new release includes the original game — an action adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic retelling of classic Chinese tale Journey to the West — as well as downloadable add-on Pigsy’s Perfect 10 and three character skins: Ninja Monkey, Classic Monkey and Sexy Trip.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Premium Edition is available for Windows PC and PlayStation 3 for $19.99.

Ninja Theory and Namco Bandai appear to be planning some form of re-release for their 2010 action adventure game, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, according to a new rating by Australia’s classification board.

The board issued a new rating for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West – Premium Edition today, which is separate from a similar rating issued three years ago prior to the game shipping on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The original Enslaved received an expansion, Pigsy’s Perfect 10, about two months after the game was released, which may be part of the Premium Edition version of the game.

The rating may also point to a PC port of Enslaved, which was spotted in an unofficial Steam database months ago. Ninja Theory’s previous console game, DmC: Devil May Cry, was released for Windows PC shortly after it hit PS3 and Xbox 360. Both titles run on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was a re-imagining of classic Chinese tale Journey to the West, set in a post-apocalyptic future.

It’s very rare to see fantastic acting in games, let alone any truly skilled performances, but developer Ninja Theory is one of the few companies that pulls this off consistently. With some help from performance capture tech, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West’s two leads, Monkey and Trip, felt particularly real. Players watched both characters grow throughout the game’s many engrossing cutscenes, seeing a bond form between the two that was totally believable.

Monkey starts the game as Trip’s unwilling slave, but only because Trip is in desperate need of someone to guide her through the robot-infested wilderness. The intense circumstances force them to be allies, but things deepen quickly. Whether Monkey is saving her life or Trip is baring her soul to him over a campfire, just looking at the characters’ eyes will tell you their relationship is evolving. Though we see little in the way of physical contact between the two, we can look at their faces–even in the preposterous finale–and know that these two are in love.

Worries the game’s commercial flop will prevent others trying the same thing.

Ninja Theory creative director Tameem Antoniades will continue to push the boundaries of character creation despite the commercial failure of Enslaved, but worries other studios will shy away from similar developments.

“We wanted to create affecting characters that felt more like real people than cardboard cutouts,” Antoniades told Edge. “If the game had been more successful, perhaps other games would follow suit and deem it a worthwhile pursuit.

“But perhaps instead it will be held as an example of why it doesn’t matter. Either way, it won’t stop us from trying. I truly believe characters and story can elevate the gameplay and affect people in deep and satisfying ways.”

In the same interview Antoniades also revealed how poor sales for Enslaved prevented a sequel and further DLC which included a multiplayer game featuring Monkey’s hoverboard.

Some of the biggest developers and best games were recognised at the Develop awards. One of the biggest awards up for grabs was “Best New IP”. The game that took that accolade was Namco Bandai’s Enslaved: Odyssey to The West.

The incredible action adventure game released last year to great critical success but unfortunately never took off with consumers. You can now easily pick up this game for less than 20 Euro, and is honestly a steal at that price. It is one of the best and easily the most under-rated game last year. If you haven’t played it yet, you really need too. Congrats Enslaved.